Texas unemployment rate dips slightly in November

AUSTIN {AP} The Texas unemployment rate dipped in November to a seasonally adjusted 4.2 percent from October's 4.3 percent, the Texas Workforce Commission said Thursday.

If the national economy has been slowing since September as indicated in revised federal figures it's hard to see fallout so far in Texas from the commission's report.

The November jobless rate was below the 4.6 percent rate of a year ago. The last time the November jobless rate in Texas was below 4.2 percent was in 1973, the commission said.

The state added 27,300 jobs in November, to 9.49 million, the commission said. Job growth was slightly faster than a year ago and nearly double the increase in November 1998.

Construction continued to boom, with employment growing by 1,200 for the sixth straight monthly gain, the commission said.

Retail trade added 6,700 jobs in November, about three times the average November gain, the commission said. Financial services, including insurance and real estate, added 2,000 jobs and transportation, communications and utilities added 2,400 jobs, the commission said.

The numbers were adjusted for seasonal variation. Economists often adjust unemployment figures to account for seasonal ups and downs, which they believe gives a more accurate picture of the underlying economy.

Without such seasonal adjustment, the state unemployment rate held steady at 4 percent in November, the commission said.

Following are the unadjusted unemployment rates for Texas urban areas, compared with revised October figures in parentheses: